


Lost and Found

by Akiko_Natsuko



Series: FT - Gen [1]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Imprisonment, Injury Recovery, Nightmares, Psychological Torture, Psychological Trauma, Team as Family, Torture, Trust, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2019-10-11 07:02:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17442179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiko_Natsuko/pseuds/Akiko_Natsuko
Summary: After a job gone wrong Natsu was taken. Four years later they've found him, but he's no longer the Natsu that they remember. Now they must try and bring him back.





	1. Chapter 1

****

   Four years. It had been four long years since they’d last seen Natsu. Four seemingly endless years of searching the length and breadth of Fiore and beyond, desperate for even the slightest clue as to where the Dragon-slayer might be. Four years of tears and anger, hope and despair threatening to cripple them more and more with each day that passed, and yet they refused to stop hunting, refused to give up on their Natsu. It had been nearly a year since the four of them had last gone home to Magnolia, to the guild, their only contact with them now was via message orb and even that was infrequent as they had grown tired of the pleas to come home, the well-meaning but hurtful encouragement to give up on their search, to move on…to forget.

They could never forget.

****

  The building didn’t look much from the outside, it’s exterior was ill-kept, paint peeling off the wooden frames and cracks running through several of the windows. Yet for all that it could have passed as an abandoned building were it not for the lights burning inside, and the odd person appearing in the windows, it gave off an air of silent menace that wasn’t lost on the group currently perched on the opposite hillside. It had been Levy’s team that had led them here, to the isolated building that was supposedly the main base for the dark guild Harinsbane that had been gaining notoriety for the past couple of years, contacting them about rumours of some unknown power being used to power the guild’s magical weapons.

An unknown source of fire magic.

    It had been the first lead they’d had in months, and even though it had brought them to the very edge of Fiore, they hadn’t wasted any time in following it up. There was no real hope in their actions anymore, more a grim determination and a refusal to give up on Natsu even after all this time.

“There’s definitely something in there,” Erza was the first to break the silence, voice quiet, wary of attracting any unwanted attention she stared grimly at the Guild building, her eyes dark and expression haunted. Of all of them, she blamed herself the most for what had happened four years ago, for Natsu being taken from them because it had been her mistake that had allowed their opponents back to trap them for long enough to let them to subdue and take Natsu. The others had never held her responsible, all three of them blaming themselves in their own way because they had been just as helpless as she had been back then, but she still felt responsible.

“But is it Natsu? I always thought that we’d recognise his magic if we felt it?” Lucy asked, absent-mindedly stroking Happy who was huddled in her lap as she crouched on the ground, reaching out with her own magic as she tried to identify the power they could feel radiating from the guild. The Exceed glanced up at her words, looking at her with dull eyes, of all of them he had perhaps been hit the worst emotionally, missing the Dragon-slayer with an intensity that had reduced him to a shell of his former self.

“It’s been four years,” Gray was the one to answer, stepping forward, the air around him growing colder as his magic responded to his emotions as he stared at their target. “Four years is a long time, and Natsu will have changed in that time, and his magic will reflect that.” _Four years is too long,_ he thought bitterly, hands balling into fists at his side, ice creeping across his skin. “We have no idea of what he has gone through.” They had no idea if it was even Natsu that was behind the guild’s strange magic, but it was easier to talk about him as though he was, although those words were ones that had haunted them more than any other over the last few years. Just what had Natsu been forced to endure? What had been done to him in the time that he had been gone? The Natsu they knew would have done everything in his power to escape and come home to them, but he hadn’t, which meant that whatever had happened to him and been enough to stop him. And beneath that was a growing worry about whether his stubbornness and willpower had been enough to help him to survive, or whether they were hunting for a ghost.

It was a thought they never allowed themselves to voice.

Natsu was alive, he had to be.

****

    They didn’t try to be subtle in their approach to the guild. If it was Natsu in there, he had already been kept from them for too long, and they refused to wait any longer as they descended on the guild. The mages within were caught by surprise, having trusted in their isolation and secrecy to protect them, and they faltered in the face of the wrath that descended on them.

    In the chaos that ensued, Lucy bolted past them all, trusting in her friends to take care of the mages despite their higher numbers, while she headed in the direction that the power seemed to be coming from. She kept her hand on her keys as she ventured deeper and deeper into the guild, struggling not to recoil from the dark atmosphere that seemed to ooze from every pore of the building, settling over her like a leaden weight. It was making her skin crawl, and she dreaded to think what it would have done to Natsu if he really had been here for four years. Could anyone survive that? Even him? Blinking back the tears that threatened to come with those thoughts, she turned her focus to the magic in the air. It was growing stronger now, the air practically humming with it and she knew that she must be close, her eyes intent and focused as she turned another corner and found herself face to face with a heavy, wooden door.

A door that was heavily bolted from the outside.

    Skidding to a halt she took a deep breath, shuddering as the magic seemed to coil around her, leaving her feeling clammy and shaky. She didn’t want to be here, every inch of her screaming to get away. Instead, she set to work, hands trembling as she began to draw back each of the bolts, her efforts becoming steadier with each one until finally, she was able to shove the door open. It took her a moment to gather enough courage to step into the room, warily peering around, fingers curled around her keys and it took her a couple of seconds to spot him, an anguished noise bubbling up at the sight that met her eyes.

   A familiar, yet scarily unfamiliar figure was sat in the far corner of the room, huddled against the wall and partially buried in the shadows. It was only the pink-hair that had allowed her to spot him. But now that her eyes were adapting to the poor lighting in the room she could make out the chains that held him against the wall, and her eyes slowly traced what appeared to be a wire that led from pale wrist across to the other side of the room where a series of glowing lacrima were stacked.

“Natsu,” she whispered, her voice sounding uncommonly loud in the tiny room, trembling as she turned her attention back to him, tears already beginning to trickle down her cheeks. She wasn’t sure if it was relief though, or happiness, or grief as he slowly lifted his head to look at her, and she couldn’t stop herself from gasping as she met his strangely blank gaze. For a moment all she could do was stand there and stare, one hand over her mouth, as it slowly dawned on her that Gray had been right. They had no way of knowing what had been done to Natsu, or how much he had changed, and she was almost scared to know what could have put such emptiness in his gaze. “Natsu?” She asked, keeping her voice soft and unthreatening as she searched his olive eyes for some sign of recognition or response, but he continued to stare at her with dead eyes.

     She felt as though her heart was breaking as she slowly inched forwards, terrified of scaring him, but there was no reaction even when she reached him and crouched down in front of him. She hesitated for a moment, before reaching out to gently brush her fingers against his cheek, certain that he would remember her touch at least, but the dull, empty gaze didn’t change, and she had to bite back a sob.

     This was no time for her to fall apart though, and so she swallowed back the urge to break down in heaving sobs, instead turning her attention to the restraints that were holding him in place. Her eyes narrowing as she took in the magical suppressant chains that ran between the wall and his wrists, anger building and driving away the urge to cry as she took in the scarring evident beneath them, as though he had fought them for a long time. Just how long had they denied him access to his magic? Surely not for the entirety of the four years? She shuddered just imagining it, her anger becoming a cold fury as her gaze shifted to the wire that led from his arm, tracing it back to the glowing lacrimas with dawning comprehension and with a low snarl she reached out and yanked it out. There was no reaction from Natsu, but the lacrimas immediately began to dull without the constant input of magic, and she swallowed back bile at the thought of just how much magic they could’ve stolen from him in all the time they’d had him.

_We should have found him sooner._

     She couldn’t think about that right now, turning her attention back to the chains and groaning as she studied them more closely, realising that not only did they suppress magic, but they were also imbued with magical resistance like the ones used to restrain her that time in Edolas. There was no way for her to break the chains, and she even doubted that any of her spirits could help, remembering how Gray had been forced to freeze and shatter them and she cursed, realising that she would have to wait for the others to come because there was no way she could leave Natsu now. Irritated by her own helplessness she settled onto her knees, turning her attention back to Natsu and finally letting herself take in the changes that the last four years had wrought on him.

    He was thin, scarily so, to the point where she could have counted her ribs if she’d really wanted to try and his skin was nearly translucent it was so pale. It spoke of long days trapped inside…no, it spoke of years spent locked in here, and in a way, that thought pained her more than the evidence that he had been poorly fed because Natsu had always loved being outside, preferring to camp rather than spend unnecessary Jewels on an inn and his captors had denied him that. There wasn’t even a window in his prison. She moved on before she became too lost in her anger, silently vowing that she would make sure he was never trapped inside again. Next, her gaze traced the numerous scars covering his body. There were the ones that had come from the restraints, but it was the others that had her scowling, eyes blazing as she took in the evidence of more recent injuries. Bruises, standing out starkly against the too pale skin, a deep cut that ran across his forehead and had stained the front of his hair an ugly rusty colour with dried blood.

     He was wearing ratty clothes that hung off his frame like rags, and his once clean and spiky hair had grown much longer and now hung limp and filthy to his shoulders. She fought the urge to wrinkle her nose as she finally took notice of the smell rising from him, refusing to recoil from him.

“What have they done to you?” She asked softly, not expecting an answer this time, Gray’s words running through her mind once more. They had no idea…but this, this was worse than anything she had ever imagined. She was just searching for something, anything to say, hoping that perhaps her voice would be able to draw a reaction out of him when she heard running footsteps moving in their direction, and she immediately tensed. They weren’t getting near Natsu again, and her hand slipped to her keys just as a mage appeared in the doorway, shouting as he spotted her and charging forwards, evidently not considering her a threat. It was a dire mistake, especially now that she had Natsu to protect.

“Gate of the Lion I open thee, Loke!” The mage was nearly upon her now, requipping a sword as he prepared to strike, and she had just flung up a protective arm when golden light blazed through the room as the man went crashing through the wall. Lucy sighed with relief, shoulders slumping as she looked up at Loke who was stood protectively over her, fists clenched and still glowing at his sides, eyes fierce as he stared at the mage who had tried to hurt her.

“Are you okay?” He asked once he was satisfied that the other mage was unconscious and unlikely to be rousing anytime soon, turning his head to look at her. Before she could reply, his sharp eyes caught the tiniest of motions from behind her, and he gasped as his gaze landed on her companion, eyes widening as he realised exactly who it was. “Natsu…” He whispered, studying the Dragon-slayer for a moment before glancing at Lucy for confirmation, and she nodded silently, watching as his eyes narrowed and began to burn with fury as he took in the state that Natsu was in and she could feel his magic spiking.

“Can you guard the door, we can’t let anyone get to him,” she asked, breaking into his angry thoughts before he could lose control, not sure how Natsu would react if the Spirit lashed out. Loke took a deep, shuddering breath before nodding, shooting a last worried look at the Dragon-slayer before stalking to the door, menace in each step. Lucy shivered at the sight, having never seen such unbridled fury on his face before.  She’d known that he and her other Spirits had shared her concern about what had happened to Natsu, helping in their seemingly never-ending hunt across Fiore without a single word of protest or discouragement.

   She had asked Virgo about it once, wondering why the Spirits were so focused on the search, especially when some of them had barely had a chance to get to know Natsu and she couldn’t help but smile faintly as she recalled Virgo’s answer.

_They’d just finished following up yet another lead that had fallen through, disappointment and despair at all time high and Lucy had retreated to her own room to hide her tears from the others, and to patch up her newest wounds, refusing to add to their worries._

_“Princess, let me do that.” Lucy hadn’t even jumped at the sudden voice, having grown used to her Spirits coming and going as they pleased over the last few years and welcoming the company. Instead, she silently held out the hand she had been attempting to clean and bandage, willingly submitting to Virgo’s expert care as the Spirit set to work._

_“Virgo…” Lucy began hesitantly, not wanting to interrupt Virgo’s work, waiting for the soft hum of agreement before continuing quietly. “What if we never find him? What if he’s already gone?” It was only here, in the safety and privacy of her own room and the company of her Spirits that she would allow herself to voice the insidious doubts that would creep into her heart and mind every time they returned empty-handed._

_“We’ll find him, Princess,” Virgo had replied, pausing in her ministrations, lightly holding her mistress’s hands, but her gaze was steely with determination as she met Lucy’s. “Because none of us will rest until we do.”_

_“None of us?” Lucy had repeated, stunned by the depth of emotion in Virgo’s words. She had known that as long as they drew breath, she and the others would never give up on their search, it was unthinkable, even if each failure cut a little deeper. However, she knew that Virgo had included herself and the other spirits in that statement._

_“We all want to find Natsu,” Virgo replied as she resumed her work. “Not only because of how much he means to you, but because of how he treated us. He saw us as people, just as you do, and he fought with us and for us. How could we not do the same?” Those words, as simple and honest as they had been had remained with her ever since, and had been a source of strength when things had threatened to overwhelm her._

“Loke?!” Lucy jolted back to the present as Gray’s voice rang out, relief flooding her, and she was already on her feet when the Ice mage skidded to a halt in the doorway. “Lucy, there you ar…” Gray trailed off as he took in what lay in front of him, eyes widening as he stared wordlessly at Natsu, his expression crumpling as he glanced between the Dragon-slayer and Lucy.

“Gray…” Lucy could see the same pain in his face that she was sure was in hers. “I need your help with the restraints,” she added quietly, relieved when after a moment he nodded, taking in her slumped posture and the heaviness in her voice. Silently he moved forward until he was beside her, briefly resting a hand on her arm before he dropped to knees, eyes never leaving Natsu’s face as he did so, taking in the emptiness in the once animated eyes. _Natsu,_ his eyes darkened as his gaze rove over his friend’s huddled form, taking in the physical changes and the evidence of the violence that had been inflicted on him, heart breaking with each new discovery.

    Remembering Lucy’s request, he focused on the restraints, growling under his breath and sharing a furious look with Lucy as he took in the magical suppression cuffs. _How dare they?_ Gritting his teeth, he reached out, freezing the cuffs and shattering them with more force than necessary, the sound deafening in the silence of the room, although a quick glance showed that Natsu seemed unaffected, still staring unseeingly at them.

“We should get out of here,” Gray said finally, tearing his gaze away from Natsu long enough to look at Lucy. “Erza should have finished taking care of things by now.” She had been the one to send him to look for Lucy, easily handling the guild mages who had been surprisingly weak without their amplified weapons, and even those had been no match for Erza. Lucy nodded, wanting nothing more than to escape this horrible building, but she hesitated as she looked at Natsu, realising that even with the chains gone, he was just sat there, wondering how they were going to get him out of there. Gray followed her gaze, slowly rising to his feet, before silently offering his hand to the Dragon-slayer. “Natsu?” He asked softly, and Lucy found herself holding her breath, both waiting hopefully for some kind of response from the Dragon-slayer.

_Natsu…_

_That was a name that he hadn’t heard in a very long time, a name that he had almost forgotten and even now it sounded strange to his ears, almost like it no longer belonged to him. Slowly he blinked, tilting his head slightly to consider the hand in front of him. How long had it been since someone had reached out to him in kindness? He couldn’t answer that question, nor could he remember the last time that he had spoken aloud. Usually, the others would come and go in silence, often not even looking at him, and when they did, it was followed by cruel hands and pain that left him gasping and wishing that he was dead._

_He didn’t understand why this was different._

_But it was different, the hand in front of him was still there, waiting patiently and when he looked up further he met the newcomer’s gaze, unable to find anything but warmth and strange longing in the dark eyes, and he didn’t know what to make of those emotions._

   Lucy watched hopefully as Natsu finally moved, just a tiny, halting tilt of his head, a dim spark of life appearing in the dull eyes as he looked up at Gray. A tiny part of her was hurt that he had responded to Gray and not her, but the relief was far greater, and right now she knew they were lucky for anything they could get from him. Gray glanced at her, understanding written across his face and she blushed, hoping he didn’t know where her thoughts had gone, relieved when he refocused on the Dragon-slayer. “Come on Natsu, it’s time to go,” he murmured softly. Part of him was desperate to celebrate because they had done it, they had found Natsu after all this time after so many people had given up on him, but another part of him was terrified. Terrified that the Natsu they remembered, the one that could destroy buildings, cause havoc in a heartbeat and give them hope in the direst situation, was gone, that this Natsu was too damaged, too broken to come back to them.

“H-Home?” Natsu’s voice was a broken whisper of sound, and they both tensed at the sound, stunned to see tears forming in the dulled eyes as he blinked at them. “Home?” The Dragon-slayer repeated shakily, and their hearts ached at the wistfulness in that single voice. _Home,_ it seemed like such a simple concept, but watching as tears trickled down pale cheeks, they realised that after all this time, that single word meant more than they could ever understand.

“Yes, Natsu,” Gray was the first to recover, although there was a waver in his voice, his hand still outstretched. “We’re taking you home. Back to Magnolia, to Fairy Tail.” There was no sign that he recognised those names, but after a moment Natsu finally moved, warily reaching out until his hand touched Gray’s, fingers curling weakly around it. Gray swallowed, managing a watery attempt at an encouraging smile as he grasped them in return, carefully pulling Natsu to his feet. For half a second his smile grew at the sight, only to vanish as Natsu swayed for a second before crumpling forward.

“Natsu!” Lucy cried, lunging forward to help, but Gray was faster, twisting just in time to catch the Dragon-slayer before he could hit the ground. “Is he okay…?” Gray peered down at Natsu, sighing as he took in the closed eyes, the too rapid breathing and he shook his head. “He’s unconscious.” He made no effort to hide his concern. Were there more injuries? Or was it just the sheer weight of everything he had been through? Gray wasn’t a healer, and as his arms tightened around Natsu, he missed Wendy more than ever, lips twisting into a thin, unhappy line at that thought.

     Gently he eased Natsu into an easier position, Lucy moving to help, although the way her hands lingered he knew it was as much to reassure herself as anything. Not that he could blame her, because while he was unnerved by how light and still Natsu was in his arms, the weight in his arms as he hefted Natsu up helped to convince the Ice mage that this was real, that they had really found him. That they were finally going to be able to take him home. “Come on,” he murmured to Lucy once he trusted his voice to work once more, and she nodded, glancing briefly at Loke who had remained obediently in the doorway, although his gaze was locked on Natsu, a sad expression written across his face. Their gazes met for a moment, and then with a small nod he disappeared, vanishing back into his own world and Lucy sighed, knowing that her Spirits would be sharing their pain.

    She would need to talk to them later, but for now, she had to focus on the present. On Natsu. And quietly she followed Gray as he left the room, Natsu cradled protectively against him.

**

    The building was eerily quiet as they drew closer to the main hall, and when they finally spotted the door, Lucy moved ahead, shielding Gray and Natsu who had still not stirred. Her hands were on her keys once more, ready for whatever they might find. However, they shouldn’t have worried because as they stepped into the hall, they found Erza waiting for them. She was wearing her Flame Empress Armour, and the ground and walls around her bore the scorch marks to prove that she had needed it, but she had emerged victorious they realised, taking in the crumpled mages scattered around the room. Although the expression on her face was enough to scare even the bravest of people, so even if any of them were in a state to continue fighting, she doubted that they would even try.

    Happy was stood beside her, bruises on his face indicating that he had been caught up in the fighting, more than willingly if there was the slightest chance that it might help Natsu. And it was the Exceed who spotted them first, turning to look at them, mouth opened to say something before he snapped it shut, eyes growing impossibly large as he spied the still figure in Gray’s arms.

“NATSU!” Happy darted across the room, more animated than he had been for months, peering up at his partner with tears in his eyes. The first genuine smile that he had worn in years spreading across his face as he allowed Lucy to lift him up so that he could see his partner better, although it was swiftly tinged with grief as he realised what had been done to Natsu.

      Erza had whirled around the moment that Happy’s cry had registered, and she had frozen, eyes widening as she stared at Gray’s precious burden and as they watched her expression threatened to crumble. She managed to rein herself in, but there was no stopping the tear that slid down her cheek as she realised that they had really done it. That they had found Natsu.

“Re-quip,” she murmured as she forced herself forward on suddenly shaky legs, changing to her normal armour as she moved to meet them, her eyes never leaving Natsu. She doubted that she would ever be able to look away again, because the last time she had…she shook her head, pushing the memories away as she reached them. “Is he okay?” She demanded, anxious as she leant in to peer at him, taking in the slack face and heard his ragged breathing, her expression darkening once more as she took in the state that he was in, eyes ablaze as she noted every bit of damage that had been done to him. _How dare they? How could they?_

“He’s alive,” Gray’s grim voice grounded her, stopping her temper from erupting, and he met her gaze for a moment before looking down at the Dragon-slayer with a pained expression, and her shoulders slumped. She knew what he was thinking, what they were all probably thinking as they took in the reality of what had been done to Natsu. Somewhere, deep down in their hearts they had always hoped that they would find him alive and unharmed, even though they’d known just how unrealistic, such hopes were, and right now they were being confronted with the reality of it, those hopes that they had never fully abandoned crashing and burning around them.

But Natsu was alive.

    Natsu was alive, he had survived everything that had been done to him, and for now, at least that was enough to give them hope. Everything else could be dealt with later. “Let’s get him out of here,” Erza said softly, glancing behind her at the destruction she had caused, a large part of her wanting to finish the job there and then, to make sure they paid for what they had done to Natsu. However, it was calmer part of her that won out, the one that told her it was better not to go looking for trouble right now, and that they had more important things to worry about, her gaze locked on Natsu.

_He’s more important._


	2. Chapter 2

    The group were quiet as they headed back towards the town, none of them quite ready to talk about what had happened. What they had found. It was easier to focus on reaching the town and getting Natsu’s injuries properly taken care of before they worked out how they were going to get him back to Magnolia, keen to have him home as soon as possible. It was something they had barely let themselves dream about as the months had become years, and there was an undercurrent of joy and hope to the silence now, emotions that they hadn’t let themselves feel for a very long time. It didn’t stop them from stealing anxious glances at Gray and his precious burden, the Dragon-slayer still unconscious and looking unbelievably small and vulnerable in the Ice mage’s arms and it dented their mood, but injuries were fixable. Anything could be dealt with as long as Natsu was back with them.

_They hoped…_

    They could just make out the top of the rooftops when Gray came to an abrupt halt as he felt movement in his arms. “Wait!” He called, breaking the silence, the suddenness of the sound making them all tense and Erza even went for her sword before they realised what it was, turning to look at him with anxious eyes. “He’s waking up,” he explained, adopting a softer tone as he realised that the Fire mage had tensed in his arms. At once the others gathered around, and not wanting to risk dropping his friend, Gray gently lowered the Fire mage to the ground, hastily pulling off his coat and folding it up to serve as a rough pillow.

     Now that they were outside and Natsu was no longer cradled against Gray there was no hiding from the damage that had been done to him. The sunlight highlighting the almost translucent colour of his skin, and throwing his injuries into sharp relief. It was a heart-breaking sight, and Lucy heard Happy sniffling, even as she blinked back tears of her own, and for the first time, they started to doubt their confidence that this was fixable.

“I am going to kill them,” Erza muttered, her hands clenching into fists at her side, the metal screeching in protest as she stared down at Natsu with dark eyes. She didn’t care that would mean going against Fairy Tail’s creed, or that it would leave an irreversible stain on her soul, right then, staring down at Natsu, it was the only thing she could think of to atone for failures. The only price that could come close to matching what had been done to him. Gray shot her a worried look, no doubt hearing the conviction in the threat and she knew he would be talking to her about it later, and she was relieved when Natsu moved again, forehead furrowing as he tried to claw his way back to consciousness.

    The Dragon-slayer shifted again, obviously uncomfortable as his expression contorted, pain written across the pale features as he tried to slowly coax his eyes open. It took him multiple attempts to even get them cracked open, and it was another few minutes before he had coaxed them full open, and they were caught by surprise when he cried out in pain the moment he succeeded, tears building in the corners of his eyes. As she watched her best friend’s desperate, uncoordinated attempts to shield his eyes, Lucy flashed back to the conditions in his cell, comprehension dawning as she lunged forward in alarm.

“It’s the light! It’s too bright for him.” _They took that from him as well,_ she thought, angry and bitter as she watched Gray reach for his shirt, only to falter when his fingers rested on the material. At once she caught up with his train of thought, he had been planning to make a blindfold to shield Natsu’s eyes, but they had no idea what other bindings he had been subjected to during his captivity, and they were on shaky enough ground without doing anything that would remind Natsu of his captivity. Gray recovered swiftly, rising to his feet and moving so that his body served as a physical barrier, shielding Natsu from the sunlight.

     Erza had moved forward to join them, and her voice was softer than they had ever heard as she leant down to study Natsu with a worried expression. “Easy Natsu.” Her hand inched forwards as though to reach for him, but she paused, not wanting to overwhelm him and she settled for adding quietly. “You just need to let your eyes adjust.” Despite the soft tone, Natsu flinched at the sound of her voice even as he blinked in an attempt to obey her commands and adapt to the light, and they all caught the quick flash of hurt in Erza’s eyes as she realised that for the moment, the Fire mage was truly afraid of her.

    The realisation that he was surrounded by people swiftly distracted Natsu from his pain, and they could only watch, hit by a mixture of horror, anger and concern as he seemed to curl in on himself. He curled in on himself, trying to make himself smaller as his arms crept up and he wrapped them around himself, burying his head against his chest in a clear attempt to protect himself. The low whimper of pain that escaped him at the movement only fuelled their anger and grief, as they realised that Natsu was so scared…scared of them…that he was willing to hurt himself, just to earn the slightest modicum of protection.

“Gray,” Lucy hissed urgently, glancing at the Ice mage. “Try and get through to him,” she added, fighting to hold back her tears as Natsu flinched even at that soft whisper. She had forgotten just how sensitive his hearing was, and she swallowed, before meeting Gray’s startled look. “He responded to you when we first found him,” she explained, and he nodded in understanding. Silently they traded places so that Natsu would still be protected from the sunlight if he chose to open his eyes again, while Gray moved to crouch down next to Natsu, trying to make himself less threatening to the clearly scared Dragon-slayer.

“Hey Natsu,” Gray didn’t think he had ever spoken to Natsu in that tone before, hell, he didn’t think he would ever bee in a situation where the Fire mage was honestly, truly afraid of him. It hurt. This wasn’t the Natsu he remembered. He forced that thought back behind a reassuring smile as Natsu tensed, before slowly unfurling just enough to lift his head to peer up at him with wide, fearful eyes. However, what had really caught his attention was the way that Natsu had reacted to his name, and taking a chance, he leaned closer, still not touching the Fire Mage. “Natsu, do you remember me?”

*

    Natsu was trying to focus on what was happening around him, trying to push through the terror that was threatening to consume him. It was hard to let go of that fear though, it had been too long since anyone had been kind to him, and it was instinctive now to hold onto that fear, to curl up and try to protect himself from whatever was going to be done to him. There was a roaring sound in his ears, and the need to hide, to flee was almost overwhelming, but he hadn’t missed the red-haired girl’s hurt when he had flinched at her voice, or the worry in the eyes now fixated on him, and their reactions confused him. _Why did they care?_

    He blinked, his focus shifting now, as his gaze turned to the man who was crouched beside him. It was the same man who had been there in his cage, the one who had removed the chains holding him in place and used his name for the first time in years. He had let himself trust the man back there, dared to let himself believe him when he had said that he was going to take him home, even though he hadn’t recognised him. So far, his trust seemed to have been rewarded as he was outside, his cage nowhere to be seen, and now the man was in front of him and using his name in such a soft voice that Natsu ached to hear it again, feeling some of his fear leaving him as he studied the man.

_Do you remember me?_

     Natsu had the impression that question was referring to something more than their brief encounter in the cage, and the implication that they might have some deeper connection bothered him, leaving a dull ache in his chest. His memories of anything before his captivity were foggy at best, and it had been easier to let it remain like that. To not think about the fact that at some point he might have had a life beyond the hell he was living in, but now as he stared into the dark eyes that were watching, waiting for an answer, he found himself trying to grasp those memories. Clawing at the images that were just out of reach in the grey fog.

He did know this man.

   He remembered those eyes, although he didn’t think he had ever seen them look so soft and the faint scent of fresh snow and winter pine tugged at him.

“G-Gray?” His hesitant whisper was deafening in the silence that had fallen as they all watched him, waiting to see if he could remember, not sure what to make of the strained expression on the Dragon-slayer’s face as he tried to remember Gray. It hurt to hear the uncertainty in his voice, but it was softened by the fact that they could see that the fear in his eyes had lessened, although it wasn’t banished completely, faint recognition seeping in as he stared at the Ice mage.

“That’s right, Natsu,” Gray confirmed with a relieved smile, not willing to admit just how terrified he had been that the Fire mage wouldn’t remember him. Natsu reacted to his name again, just the slightest flicker in wary, olive eyes and the Ice mage immediately resolved to use it as often as possible. Although the fact that such a simple thing could make Natsu happy had a bubble of fury rising in his chest, and despite his earlier concern, he found himself agreeing with Erza’s dark words from earlier. For now, though there were other things to deal with, and he took a deep breath. “What about their names?” He gestured at Lucy standing above them, and Erza and Happy who had crept closer while they were talking, the Exceed meeting Natsu’s gaze with wide, worried eyes when the Fire mage shifted his focus to the others.

_A large egg, larger than any he had seen before rested in a nest on the ground in front of him…there was a small, white-haired girl with shining blue eyes sat beside him…a small hut, roughly made but sturdy, sheltering them as they sat watching the egg…waiting._

_Cracks…_

_A cat with wings…Bluebird…laughter filling the air around them…_

_Happiness…_

“Happy…?” The Exceed in question smiled, a tremulous echo of his old smile as he heard Natsu mutter his name after several moments of strained thought. He had been terrified that Natsu wouldn’t remember him, as it was clear that some of his memories were messed up, and the thought of his best friend forgetting him had been bothering him from the moment that Lucy had told them what had happened in Natsu’s cell. Now though he was virtually bouncing up and down on the spot, once more living up to his name in a way that he hadn’t for years. Natsu didn’t smile, but he seemed to relax a little before his gaze shifted, turning upwards to Lucy who silently held her breath as she whispered a plea to the stars that he would be able to remember her too, unable to forget how he hadn’t reacted to her back in his prison.

_He could remember a giant cow with a huge axe._

     Natsu frowned, faltering for a moment, sure that image must be from a dream rather than a memory, but no…

_He could recall other strange creatures…no people…friends…Then there was a large tower looming out of the barren landscape…a girl falling from the top of it, screaming his name…his name…and he was charging forwards, trying desperately to get there in enough time to catch her…calling for her… screaming her name._

“Lucy…” Her name on his lips was the sweetest thing she’d heard in years, even though he didn’t sound like himself, his voice hoarser than she remembered and hesitant. It took all her strength not to sink to the floor in tears as relief flooded her. Instead, she smiled at Natsu who was still watching her, worried that he was wrong. Her eyes were stinging, but she knew that the tears would come later, much later when they were home, and he was on the mend, then and only then she would cry. The tears would have to wait for now.

    Erza waited with forced patience as Natsu’s gaze slowly shifted in his direction, making sure to keep her expression as open and relaxed as she could as he focused on her. She knew that witnessing the rage that was still boiling beneath the surface would scare the Fire mage at the moment, not something she was willing to allow, and she ruthlessly suppressed it. She had already scared him once, however unintentionally, and it was a mistake she had no intention of repeating. As his gaze slid slightly out of focus again, she prayed that he would remember her as he had the others, the thought that he might not… that he might not want to… was enough to make even Titania tremble.

_Scarlet hair…tears falling from wide eyes…Holding her in his arms as the sea splashed around them, overwhelmed with a sense of relief…fear as she towered above him, but different from the fear that he was feeling right now…_

_The smell of iron and magic…_

_Titania._

_Scarlet…_

“Erza.”

       Erza hadn’t realised how tightly wound she was, or how much she had needed to hear him say her name until she heard that whisper and she shattered. Breaking down into relieved sobs as she saw the recognition in his gaze, and her shoulders shook as she fought to rein in her emotions. The other three tactfully pretended to ignore the tears that were trickling down her cheeks, but Natsu hadn’t looked away, his thin face slowly morphing into an expression of concern and fear which cut through her relief like a sword.

“I’m all right Natsu,” she managed to whisper, her tears slowing now as she began to get herself under control and slowly he began to relax, although his gaze remained locked on her. Even though she was distracted with wiping away the evidence of her tears, she caught the way Natsu had reacted to his name, and she glanced across at Gray who met her gaze with a nod. He had noticed it too – which did little to calm her anger and only reinforced her desire to go back and completely destroy those who had dared to harm him.

“Home?” The soft, pleading question broke the silence that had fallen in the wake of breakdown, drawing their attention back to Natsu who was staring hopefully at Gray, remembering that the Ice mage had been the one to say that he was going to take him home. “Home, please?” He added when no one responded, the desperation and hope in those simple words bringing fresh tears to Erza’s eyes, and she could see that the others weren’t much better, the air around Gray growing cooler for a moment before he managed to get his emotions under control enough to reply.

“We’re taking you home Natsu,” Gray’s voice firm and there was steel in his eyes as he met Natsu’s pleading gaze, holding it without hesitation. “I promise.” The Dragon-slayer stared at Gray searchingly for a few minutes before he nodded slightly, accepting the promise, unshed tears in his eyes as he placed his trust once more in this man that he semi-remembered.

*

“We should get moving,” Erza suggested gently after a few minutes, reluctant to break the peace that had settled over them, but eager to get Natsu properly cared for, wishing that Wendy was still with them. The others nodded, Natsu a few seconds after the other, looking more like he was imitating them than actually agreeing and she filed it away for consideration later. For now, she was more focused on the fact that Natsu was trying to push himself to his feet, whimpering softly as the movement jolted his wounded body and she could see the lines of pain that had eased a little while he’d been laid still.

“Woah,” Gray admonished as he placed a restraining hand on the Dragon-slayer’s shoulder, forcing himself not to react to the flinch that greeted the gentle touch. “Let me help you okay?” If he was honest, he wanted to carry the Fire mage and make sure he didn’t cause himself any more harm, and he doubted that Natsu would be able to get very far in his current condition even with support. However, when their gazes met he could see how important this was for Natsu, and he could understand, neither of them had ever been one to back away from a challenge, and for Natsu right now, it was vital that he was allowed to try and exert his independence.

“’Kay,” Natsu whispered, reluctance clear in his voice and body language, but there was no denying that he wasn’t going to be able to do this alone. Carefully Gray helped to ease him up into a sitting position, frowning as he felt the tremors running through the frail body and faltering as he noted the goosebumps that had risen on Natsu’s skin. It was a worrying sight as he’d never seen Natsu get cold before given that he was a Fire mage, but with the magic depletion, he’d suffered it was clear that right now he didn’t have the ability to warm himself.  Gray didn’t say anything, but he was quick to retrieve his jacket from the floor and carefully wrap it around Natsu, before carefully helping him to his feet and steadying him when he wavered.

“All set?” Lucy asked with false cheer, not liking how long it took Natsu to steady himself even with Gray’s support, and she couldn’t stop herself from scowling as she realised just how loose Gray’s jacket was, hanging off him and making him look smaller than ever. However, she couldn’t hold the scowl when she met Natsu’s eyes and saw the genuine relief in them from being able to stand on his own two feet, and her lips quirked up as she caught the familiar spark of stubbornness in his gaze as he stepped forward, wobbling with each step.

*

    True to Gray’s prediction, Natsu hadn’t made it far even with the Ice mage supporting most of his weight. They had barely been moving for ten minutes, moving slower and slower with each step, when the Fire mage had been forced to admit defeat and Gray had a feeling that it was only sheer stubbornness that had even allowed him to get that far. However, he wasn’t about to complain, because that display of stubbornness had been a gift, showing them all that some of the old Natsu was still lurking beneath the damage.

    It had taken nearly another five minutes to convince the stubborn Fire mage to allow Gray to carry him once more, but once he had caved and they were on the way again, Natsu had been quick to drift off again. They’d remained silent after that, both out of deference for his need to rest, but also because they knew that if they did speak it wouldn’t be long before the topic would turn to punishing those responsible for putting Natsu in this state. An issue that would need to be discussed at some point, but not now, when their emotions were running high.


	3. Chapter 3

 

    Gray was gentle as he settled Natsu onto the bed, but even with the care he took, pain flickered across the Dragon-slayer’s face, not quite enough to rouse him, but enough to have Gray wincing in sympathy. He lingered for a moment, hand resting on the Dragon-slayer’s shoulder, eyes slowly trailing over the evidence of what his friend had suffered, finally taking it all on board, something he hadn’t allowed himself to do while focusing on getting Natsu back to the inn they had been staying in. He wished that he hadn’t, feeling his temper beginning to build once more, because there was so much damage that he didn’t know where to begin, or how Natsu had held on so long. _Too long,_ he thought bitterly, the old weight of guilt that had been a constant companion for the last few years growing. _We took far too long…_

    Biting his lip, not sure whether he was going to sob or scream his frustration, he turned away, finding the others hovering in the doorway, their attention just as riveted on the Dragon-slayer, and he could see the same guilt in their expressions.

“We need to get him cleaned up before we can do anything else,” he said, needing to break the silence, and seeing that the others weren’t in the right frame of mind to make decisions right now. Happy was looking at his partner as though he feared that Natsu might disappear again if he so much as blinked. Erza still looked as though she was ready to tear his captors apart – a sentiment that Gray very much approved of, and Lucy had the same haunted expression she’d had when he first found her with Natsu in that horrible room. “Then we…we need to see to his injuries.” His voice cracked and broke, before darkening on that last word, and this time he had to clench his hands into tight fists in order to rein back his magic which was stirring under his skin in response to the fury that was bubbling up in his chest.

_They hurt him…_

    That wasn’t a strong enough description for what they had done to Natsu, but Gray knew that if he gave thought to what it had been his already wavering control would snap completely, and he relieved when Lucy finally nodded and broke the silence. “I’ll go and get the bath ready for him,” she whispered, releasing her hold on Happy, who immediately jumped down and darted across to the bed, desperate to be with Natsu once more, and there was something soothing about seeing him and Natsu together again, as he clambered up on the bed. Lucy stayed for a moment, drinking in the sight, her eyes lingering longest on Natsu before reluctantly she pulled herself away, and head through into the bathroom.

“Erza…”

 “I’ll go and find some fresh clothes for him, those we have are too big for him,” Erza cut across him before Gray could get more than her name out, and her eyes were dark again, and Gray hesitated before nodding. Realising that she also needed some time alone to regain control of her emotions, and as much as he was reluctant to let any of them out of sight at the moment, he knew that they couldn’t risk an outburst here, not when Natsu was already wary of them. She was also correct he realised, glancing at Natsu, realising that the bag of his old clothes that they’d kept with them all this time would bury him in his current condition.

“Don’t be long,” he settled for saying, and she nodded, hearing the unspoken ‘ _and don’t go after them alone’_ beneath his words, unable to deny that the thought had crossed her mind.

“I won’t.” The ‘ _yet’_ hovered unspoken, and Gray met her gaze as he nodded, knowing that none of them was going to allow the guild to get away with what they had done with Natsu. It was only the fact that the Dragon-slayer needed them right now that had brought them a stay of execution, because they had chosen the wrong guild, and the wrong mages to cross. Some of the simmering fury in Erza’s eyes eased at his agreement, and with a tight smile and a glance at Natsu, she left on her self-appointed task, leaving Gray to turn back towards the bed, with a weary sigh that seemed to come from the bottom of his soul.

“Will Natsu be okay?” Happy asked, turning to look up at him with wide eyes, and sounding a lot younger than his years, paw trembling as reached out towards Natsu, coming up short before actually touching him and risking disturbing him.

“I’m not sure,” Gray admitted, refusing to lie to the Exceed even though he hated the way that Happy’s shoulders hunched at his words, tail drooping as he curled it around himself, almost shrinking away from Natsu as though frightened of breaking him. “But we’re going to do whatever we need to do to help him, and if we have any say in it, then we’re going to bring him back.” _I just don’t know how different he’ll be,_ he thought but didn’t voice aloud. Happy nodded, but he didn’t look convinced as he turned back to his partner with huge eyes.

“Gray? The bath’s ready, and I’ve put out some extra towels for you,” Lucy said as she stepped back into the room, making the pair jump, Gray instinctively moving to cover Natsu before he’d realised who it was. Offering her a sheepish look when she immediately froze, wide-eyed for a moment, before she shook her head, accepting the silent apology. “I’m going to go and sort through our medical supplies if you’re okay with him? I don’t think he’s going to want a girl here,” she explained, and Gray hesitated before nodding. They had already seen that Natsu was still as stubborn as before, and Gray knew that if he were in the Dragon-slayer’s shoes, he would feel the same and that while Natsu might need their help, for the time being, he wouldn’t want their pity. Lucy offered him a small smile that didn’t reach her eyes as she saw his agreement before she slipped away with a quiet. “Take care of him.”

*

    Gray hesitated for a moment, reluctant to disturb Natsu when he was so blatantly exhausted, but he desperately needed a bath, and they needed to take care of his injuries, something that he doubted had been done properly for a long time. _If ever,_ he corrected, eyes gliding over the scars and more recent injuries, biting back a growl. However, it also shored up his resolve because sleep alone wasn’t going to undo all the damage that had been done to Natsu and he was eager to get the worst of it done as soon as possible, and gathering himself, he moved closer to the bed, reaching out to gently shake Natsu’s shoulder.

“Natsu? Natsu, can you wake up for us?” He called, keeping his voice deliberately soft, trying to be as unthreatening as possible as Natsu stirred at his touch, wrinkling his nose for a second, before abruptly flinching away from Gray’s hand as his sleep-addled mind realised that he wasn’t alone. “Natsu…”

“No,” Natsu was definitely awake now, bolting upright and scooting back until he hit the bed’s backboard, whispering frantic denials as he did so. “No…no, no, no.” He was wild-eyed, his gaze darting around the room without seeming to see any of it, and certainly not registering who was with him, as fear threatened to drown him.

“Natsu,” Gray backed up slightly to give the frightened mage some space, holding his arms out to appear as unthreatening as possible. “Easy, Natsu,” he murmured, sharing a worried glance with Happy, as they waited patiently for the Dragon-slayer to come back to himself. It took longer than either of them liked for his eyes to focus, and for some of the fear to melt away from his expression as he realised that there was no imminent danger, although he didn’t relax completely. Even when his eyes finally settled on them, a flicker of recognition in their depths. Still, Gray took it as a sign that it was safe for him to lean forward a little, holding Natsu’s gaze as he asked softly. “Natsu, do you recognise us?” He hoped that Natsu hadn’t forgotten the conversation earlier, but he wasn’t about to take anything for granted at the moment.

 “G- Gray?” Natsu replied uncertainly after a brief hesitation before his gaze darted across to the worried Exceed that was watching the exchange intently from his spot at the edge of the bed, and this time he was a little more confident. “H-Happy.”

“That’s right, Natsu,” Gray nodded with a strained smile, heart aching as the Dragon-slayer came as close he could to beaming at the moment, just from such simple praise and the use of his name. And it didn’t take much to imagine why, ice tingling against his skin as the leash he had on his temper slipped for a second, but all it took was the renewed tension in Natsu’s body to douse him in cold water, and he took a deep breath. “I know that you’re probably still tired, but we need to clean you up so that we can take a proper look at your injuries. Is that okay?” He asked, searching Natsu’s expression for any hint of refusal because while it was something that definitely needed doing as soon as possible, he wasn’t about to force Natsu into anything at the moment.

     Natsu seemed taken aback by the question, his head tilted to the side as though he didn’t completely understand what Gray was saying, or as though he was searching for some kind of trap in the words. “I’m allowed to have a bath?” He asked finally, voice small, and Gray had to fight back a scowl even as he added yet another thing to the metal list, he was making of what had been done to Natsu, trying to focus on the fact that at least Natsu was engaging in a conversation, even if his words made Gray want to weep.

“Of course, you are Natsu,” Gray was firm, wanting to make sure that there was no doubt in Natsu’s mind that this was different, that they were different, and he was rewarded with a weak, but no less dazzling smile. It helped to ease the dull ache in his chest, even while it added fresh fuel to his anger that he buried by leaning a little closer. “Is that what you want Natsu?” Double-checking, not wanting to scare Natsu because he’d misunderstood, relieved when he got a small nod in reply, to which he smiled. “Okay, then that’s what we’re going to do. But you’re going to have to let me help you okay?” Natsu looked less enthusiastic about that, paling as he glanced between the pair of them, and then towards the door behind Gray, before nodding again, just a tiny jerk of his head as his desire to be clean seemed to overwhelm his wariness and reluctance to rely on Gray at least for the time being.

     Gray waited a moment to make sure that Natsu wasn’t going to change his mind, before moving forward and helping to pull the covers back, as Happy hopped out of the way. Once they were out of the way, he gently eased Natsu up off the bed, making sure to keep his movements slow and open, giving Natsu the time to protest if he wanted. However, while he trembled at Gray’s proximity, flinching when he caught his injuries, Natsu didn’t pull away as they hobbled their way into the bedroom, even leaning his weight on Gray when it became clear that he couldn’t entirely support himself.

    However, when Gray went to help him remove the tattered rags – there was no way the Ice Mage was going to dignify them with the word clothes, Natsu pulled away with a panicked cry. At once Gray released him, not wanting to scare him. Unfortunately, Natsu hadn’t been properly balanced and had been relying on Gray more than either of them had realised, and his weakened legs promptly gave beneath him as he tried to scoot backwards, sending him sprawling to the floor with a cry of pain.

“Natsu!” Gray immediately dropped to his side, hands gentle as he pulled the Dragon-slayer up into a sitting position, trying to ignore the way Natsu flinched as he tried to check for new injuries. Satisfied that there was no further damage, beyond maybe an extra bruise or two, he sat back on his heels and pulled his hand back, giving Natsu a moment to collect himself.

“Sorry,” Natsu muttered miserably as he stared down at the floor, shoulders hunched.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Gray replied at once, exchanging a pained glance with Happy who was hovering anxiously in the doorway having come running as soon as Natsu had cried out. “I didn’t mean to startle you,” he added, and Natsu looked up at that, eyes wide in surprise at the implied apology. _What the hell did they do to you Natsu?_ Gray found himself asking himself again, reasonably sure that he didn’t want the answer, and for a long moment they just stared at one another. Gray fighting his temper, and Natsu clearly trying to adapt to how different the situation was from what he had grown used to. Eventually, Natsu moved, raising trembling hands to pull at his clothes, and as much as Gray wanted to help, especially when he realised how much difficulty Natsu was having controlling his hands, he could also tell that the Dragon-slayer wouldn’t welcome any assistance for now.

     It took a lot longer than it should’ve, but eventually Natsu removed the last of the clothes, his nose wrinkling slightly as he dropped them on top of the small pile he’d created. Frowning as though he’d only just realised what he had been wearing.

“Erza has gone to find you some clean clothes,” Gray said, noting the other’s disgust and deciding that it was probably a good sign, even as Natsu blinked, looking taken aback by his words yet again. This time Gray ignored the reaction, mostly in favour of trying to hold onto his temper and instead he gestured to the bath with a raised eyebrow, wondering how hot Lucy had run it as it was still steaming even with all the time they’d wasted. Natsu followed his gaze, before taking a deep breath and beginning to try and push himself up once more, his arms shaking with the effort, and as soon as he managed to get to his feet, he wavered once more and threatened to fall again. Gray was immediately at his side to steady him, waiting for Natsu to relax after he went rigid under his touch, before steering him forward and helping him to climb somewhat clumsily into the bath.

    Natsu hissed as the water hits his injuries, jerking back into Gray’s supportive grip for a moment, before gingerly lowering himself further into the water. The warmth of the water, so different from what he’d known for too long was comforting against his chilled skin, and despite the sting of his wounds, he leant back, already starting to feel sleepy again.

“Is it warm enough?” Gray asked, releasing his hold on Natsu once he was satisfied that he wasn’t going to sink under the surface. Pleased to see the relief in Natsu’s face as he basked in the water, and he almost thought that he wasn’t going to get an answer when he finally got a sleepy nod, and a slight smile. “Good.” He paused for a second before adding softly. “You can sleep if you want, I’ll get you cleaned up.”

     Natsu blinked at that, looking unsure for a moment, but his eyes were already drooping, and he was warm and almost comfortable. “Okay,” he murmured finally, and Gray felt a surge of relief, hoping that this was a sign that Natsu was at least starting to trust him again. Especially, when Natsu’s eyes closed almost immediately, his breathing evening out as he slipped back into sleep, telling Gray that they were lucky to have got him settled into the bath before he’d dozed off again. Still, he waited a couple of minutes until he was satisfied that Natsu was truly asleep, before taking a shaky breath and letting his mask slip. Because like this, with the rags gone and the water already soaking some of the filth off, he was granted an unfettered view of the scars and injuries marring his friend’s body, and he felt his magic roaring around him as his temper rose.

_Natsu…_

"Gray?" Happy asked as he reappeared in the doorway, having backed off to give Natsu at least the illusion of privacy, before returning now visibly frightened by the aura currently surround the Ice Mage. It was that, and the fact that Natsu had just shifted in the water, distress leaking into his expression although he didn’t wake, that made Gray force his magic back under control. Promising himself that there would be time later to lose control, preferably in the presence of the people responsible for hurting Natsu.

“I’m all right Happy,” he said, once he was confident that his magic was back under control, offering Happy a reassuring smile. The Exceed brightened at the reassurance, despite the obvious shakiness of Gray’s smile. “Let’s get Natsu cleaned up okay?”

“Aye sir,” Happy said determinedly.

**

   Together they set to work washing Natsu. Gray focusing on carefully removing the dirt and dried on blood that seemed to cling to far too much of the almost skeletal body of the Dragon-slayer, while Happy tackled the unkempt hair that could barely be called pink anymore. Natsu slept on uneasily as they worked, his expression occasionally shifting to one of discomfort when Happy caught a particularly bad knot, or when the sponge passed over a cut or bruise, low whimpers bubbling up when Gray had to work his way around the deeper wounds. Happy and Gray hated that they were causing him any pain, even if it was mild in comparison to what he had endured, but unfortunately, they knew it was a necessity and gritted their teeth against his pained noises. 

   By the time that Natsu was cleaned to their satisfaction, the bath water was dark with grime and even less pleasant things, and Gray threw it a dark look as he yanked out the plug. Watching as it began to drain away and wishing that it was as easy to dispose of the rest of the evidence of what Natsu had been through.

“Can you grab the towels for me, Happy?” He asked, as he carefully scooped Natsu up out of the bath, concerned when the Dragon-slayer didn’t stir beyond a slight twitch of his nose and a low noise in the back of his throat. Happy didn’t reply, but he had barely taken two steps from the bath before the Exceed was there with the towels, and Gray muttered his thanks as he grabbed the largest one and hastily wrapped it around Natsu as he settled on the floor so that he wouldn’t drop the Fire Mage. He tucked it in as best he could, as the last thing they needed was Natsu getting a chill on top of everything else, and he nodded as Happy draped another one over him, as he shifted until he was sat with Natsu curled against his chest. He waited to see if Natsu would stir, but when there was no movement from the Dragon-slayer and shaking his head, he reached for another towel and began to gently dry Natsu’s hair.

“I’ll see if Erza’s back yet, and make sure that Lucy’s ready,” Happy said, fluttering down for a second to rest a paw on Natsu’s head before heading for the door, leaving the Ice Mage truly alone with Natsu. Gray was relieved for the brief moment of solitude, leaning back for a moment with a sigh as he focused on the weight of Natsu resting against his chest, and the soft sound of Natsu’s breathing. It grounded him in the present, convincing him of the reality of the situation, of the fact that Natsu was truly back with them. _But is he really?_ A cruel voice, the product of too many failed leads, and broken hopes whispered as he glanced down at the Dragon-slayer who was a far cry from the Natsu that he remembered. Shaking his head to clear that thought before he could lose his temper again, he resumed his task of drying the other’s hair, gently teasing out the odd knot that Happy’s efforts had missed.

    Once Natsu’s hair was dry enough, he turned his attention to the rest of Natsu, even more, cautious as he towelled him off, mindful of his wounds. He was quicker this time, and as soon as he was done, he wrapped Natsu in the last of the clean towels and eased himself out from behind Natsu. Before lifting him once more – hating how easy it was now, before carrying him back into the bedroom, knowing that they needed to confront the task of tending to his injuries now. The once clean towels that he’d left in a heap, now marked in places where poorly scabbed injuries had been reopened, while the wounds themselves now stood out livid against the too-pale skin.

“Gray?” He jumped at the sudden voice as he was settling Natsu down on top of the bed, barely restraining himself from lashing out with his magic as he glanced towards the door. Pleased that he had resisted the urge when he found Lucy peering in through the door, obviously trying to check that Natsu was decent, before slipping inside when Gray nodded for her to enter. She had their medical supplies pressed against her chest, biting her lip as she moved closer and looked down at Natsu, her expression crumpling as she realised that there was no hiding from how bad his wounds were now that he was clean.

 “How is he?” She asked softly, trying not to disturb the sleeping Dragon-slayer.

“Exhausted,” Gray replied, his frown matching hers, and he hesitated for a moment before adding reluctantly. “And he’s still scared of us. He might trust us a little bit, or at least he’s trying to, but we’ve got a long way to go.”

   Lucy opened her mouth and then closed it again, realising that there was nothing she could do or say that would take the sting out of those words for either of them. _Natsu, doesn’t trust us?_ It felt unbelievable even in the safety of her own thoughts, and she swallowed, blinking back tears before glancing back at Gray and seeing the tension radiating from him. “Let’s just get him taken care of, for now, we will deal with everything else later…”

 


	4. Chapter 4

   Gray had to leave the room once they had finished dealing with Natsu’s injuries. It had taken all his focus to contain his fury, and as a result his magic, while they’d treated the Dragon-slayer, and he hadn’t been entirely successful, leaving the windows frosted over as though it were the deep of winter. Lucy had taken one look at his face as she set down what remained of their bandages, before paling and telling him in a soft voice that he needed to go and take a walk, promising not to leave Natsu’s side while he was gone when he had still hesitated. Satisfied that the Dragon-slayer was protected for the time being he’d all but bolted from the room.

    He’d half-heartedly considered staying in the inn, reluctant to stray far from Natsu’s side, but it hadn’t taken him long to notice the wary, sideways glances he was receiving as his magic crackled around him. Frustrated, and with his hands clenched into fists and carefully held apart he’d stalked outside and into the garden that circled the property, relieved to find it empty as he began to pace.

“Damn it,” he snarled as everything bubbled up at once, and without thinking he whirled around, slamming his fist into a tree, ice forming instantly and creeping across the bark, even as the pain slowly began to break through his anger. It was tempting to slam his second fist into the bark as well, but he resisted, slowly starting to shake his head as he staggered back half a step before sinking down to the ground at the foot of the tree. Taking a shaking breath, his hand seeming to throb in time to it, he wrapped his arms around his knees and buried his head, shaking as he tried to get control of himself again, knowing that he couldn’t go near Natsu while he was like this.

    He wasn’t sure how long he had been sat there, willing himself to calmness, when a sudden voice broke into his whirling thoughts. “How bad was it?” He jumped slightly, before glancing to the side as Erza settled down on the ground beside him. She looked a lot calmer than she had earlier, although there was still lingering darkness in her eyes as their gaze met, and she was frowning as she studied him. “Gray?”

“Bad,” Gray growled, and then glanced away sheepishly, knowing that now was not the time for them to be taking their anger out on each other. “Sorry,” he muttered, knowing that Natsu needed them all working together right now, but Erza shrugged, clearly not in a mood to pursue it even though she usually would have just punched him for his ‘cheek’.

    They sat in silence for several minutes, each lost in their own thoughts and neither of them knowing how to break it, even though they were both focused on the same thing or rather the same person. However, eventually, Erza sighed and straightened, still not looking at him as she asked quietly. “Can… I need to know how bad it was.” There was a tremor in her words, voice catching for a moment as though she wasn’t so sure that she was ready to know just what Natsu had been forced to endure. What had been done to him, while they looked in the wrong place. Gray had looked up at her voice, and now he turned to look at her properly, grimacing as he saw the guilt written across her face.

“None of this was your fault Erza,” he admonished sternly, wondering how often they’d said that to her over the last few years, but meaning it more than he ever had as he leant forward. “We were all there, and Natsu is or was fully capable of defending himself. You know that better than anyone. What happened that day shouldn’t have happened, but it was NOT your fault.” He let his voice rise a little, emphasising the point as he met her gaze fully, his eyes boring into hers as he tried to convince her.

“I don’t think I’ll ever truly believe that, at least not until Natsu is back on his feet,” she admitted, and he couldn’t miss the hesitation or the doubt. The unspoken question about whether Natsu would ever be able to go back to being himself. Gray sighed, wishing that he had an answer to that question for all their sakes, and realising that for the time being that was the best he was going to get from Erza and that she was still watching him, waiting for an answer. He leant back against the tree, arms creeping back up around his knees as he reluctantly turned his thoughts back to the injuries that Natsu had suffered, barely aware of the ice beginning to creep across the ground around them.

“The main problems are going to be malnutrition and recovering his magical power,” he said finally deciding to start out on the more obvious injuries that Natsu had suffered, not least because compared to the rest they were a little less upsetting. Although not by much, he thought, hating the thought of Natsu having had to endure of this, and aching at the thought of the Dragon-slayer being cut off from the magic that had always put a spark in his eyes before all of this. “Lucy was going to try and wake him up to eat something, but he won’t be able to eat much for a while.” He scowled, closing his eyes as he recalled how he had been able to feel each and every bone in his friend’s body. They’d known he was thin, had felt how light he was, but the true extent of it hadn’t been visible until they’d washed away the dirt. _How long did they starve him for?_ He didn’t want to imagine, remembering all the times he’d watched on in disgusted awe as the Fire Mage devoured more food in one sitting than Gray could eat in an entire day. _They took that from him._

     He gritted his teeth, trying not to lose his temper again as he opened his eyes to look at Erza as he continued in a dull voice, trying to distance himself from his own words. “Magically, he’s still cold to the touch, and I’m honestly not sure how long it will take for his magic to replenish itself to the point where he can at least heat himself. Let alone use it as he did before.”

_If he ever can…_

    Erza’s hands clenched, hearing the words that he hadn’t said. While she could understand why Gray had started with those issues, in her mind, they were perhaps worse than the more recent wounds, because they were pain…torture that had been inflicted over a long period of time. _All that time we lost looking in the wrong places,_ she thought stomach churning. But it was more than that, because taking his magic and starving him, had also been another way of taking freedom away from Natsu. The freedom to eat, and her lips quirked as she remembered the number of times Natsu had won eating competitions, as he and Happy put away meals that would feed half a dozen; and the freedom to use his magic. The latter was worse in a way because she knew how much Natsu loved his magic, using it to remind himself of Igneel, and continually trying to grow stronger – to find his father, to beat her, to protect them. Plus she could remember how shaken he’d been after Edolas when he had been stripped of it for a time, and after the incident with Daphne when she had manipulated his magic.

“What else?” She forced herself to ask, silently telling herself that at least they were issues that they knew how to deal with. Although, she hadn’t missed Gray’s hesitation and the words he hadn’t said, and there was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach because she honestly didn’t know what any of them would if Natsu didn’t get the full destructive force of his magic back. It was unimaginable, and she was almost relieved when Gray continued.

_Almost…_

“The worst injuries that he has at the moment are his wrists. He’s managed to rub them raw, fighting against those restraints or maybe even just from wearing them for so long,” Gray shivered, because those cuts had been deep, and there was evidence that they had tried to heal and failed. He didn’t miss the way that Erza’s hands had slipped down to her own wrists, and knowing where her thoughts had gone, he continued. “He also has a nasty cut on his forehead. It looks like it’s a few days old, but we had to clean it out as they clearly hadn’t bothered. Other than that, it appears to be mainly shallow cuts, and a lot of bruises, although some of them run deep and most of them are fresh.” Fresh as in the same day they’d found him, he thought. It somehow made them worse, because they had been so close and yet Natsu had still been hurt, and he had to pause for a moment, just breathing before he could continue with the next bit.

“Gray…?”

“There are a lot of scars,” he continued at her prompting, unsurprised when her eyes narrowed, fury crackling in them once more. “He’s been beaten…a lot.” _Tortured would be a better word for it,_ he thought, but he knew that neither of them was ready to hear that word aloud right now, even before he saw the promise of death in her eyes, deciding that it was definitely left unspoken at least until they could point her in the direction of Natsu’s attackers.

“Maybe Porlyusica or…Wendy will be able to do something about the scars?” Erza suggested after a moment or two, and he was surprised both by how calm her voice was, although her expression was still dangerous, and that she had been able to think ahead despite her temper.

“I hope so.” God did he hope so because he knew that the scars would haunt Natsu, reminding him of what had been done to him. The memories were going to be bad enough, without physical reminders to make them a hundred times worse, and while they hadn’t been able to spare Natsu from what had been done to him, he hoped they could at least shield him from that. Watching Erza out of the corner of his eye, he saw the way she twisted, turning to look up at the inn, her eyes seeking out the window to the room where Natsu was, easily able to read the longing bleeding through the anger now, and his expression softened. “You should go and see him.”

“I…”

“You still have his scarf, don’t you?” Gray asked, voice soft as he cut through the half-hearted protest before it could become something more, and she froze, before taking a shaky breath as she nodded, and he smiled slightly. “Go and take it to him, I’m sure he’d love to have it back.” He ignored the small part of him that wondered if it would be another thing that Natsu had forgotten, relieved when Erza finally nodded, and slowly climbed to her feet.

“Thank you, Gray.”

****

    Lucy had known that it was terrible from the moment she had first set eyes on Natsu in that horrible room and realised that he didn’t recognise her. Still, she hadn’t been prepared for the pain of seeing the full extent of what had been done to him, and it had taken every scrap of willpower she’d had not to break down the moment they had finished and tucked him back into bed. Part of her had wanted to run away and hide in her room and let out all the tears that had been threatening to fall since they’d first found him. However, the frosted windows and a single glance at Gray had told her that he needed some time to compose himself more than she did, as they couldn’t risk an outburst that would scare Natsu away from them, and so she’d chased him away and promised to stay with the Dragon-slayer.

     Instead, she’d tried to distract herself by sending Happy away to order something simple for them to try and tempt Natsu to eat, aware that anything too rich at the moment would just see it coming up again. Unfortunately, that also left her alone with the sleeping Dragon-slayer. Alone with the evidence of what had been done to him, her hands trembling as she tidied up the mess they’d made, unable to keep her gaze away from him for more than a few seconds at a time. _Natsu…_ Now that he was clean, she could see more of the friend that she missed so much, but he was still so different, so changed against his will that it was like being in a room with a stranger, and she was almost relieved when Happy returned. Bringing with him a bowl of chicken soup, a quiet whisper that he had seen the other two talking in the garden and that they didn’t seem to be destroying anything for the time being.

      She had thanked him for the first and nodded, relieved at the second, not that she would have blamed either Gray or Erza if they had lost control. However, she was caught by surprise when the Exceed handed her the bowl with a strained smile, before retreating once more.

“They’re not the only ones that need a moment,” he explained at her questioning look, and she swallowed, realising what it must be costing him as he sent a longing look at his partner. Before she could say anything to try and stop him, he was gone, leaving her alone with Natsu and she took a deep breath before moving to sit on the edge of the bed.

 “Natsu,” she called, having to repeat it a couple of times before she was finally rewarded with the sight of Natsu stirring, reluctance clear in his wrinkled nose and the way he tried to burrow back into the pillow before his eyes crept open. He blinked sleepily as he started to focus, only to bolt upright with a frightened expression as he realised just how close she was, although she had been careful to make sure she wasn’t touching him. He winced as he sat up, the sudden movement no doubt jostling his injuries, and she hid a from, as she tried to calm him. “Woah Natsu, it’s just me. It’s just Lucy,” she added her name, remembering what Gray had said about Natsu needing the reminder when he’d woken earlier, somehow managing a soothing smile as the Dragon-slayer studied her warily for a long moment before relaxing minutely.

    It wasn’t exactly a show of trust, but she would take it, her smile growing a little as she realised that his nose was twitching as he caught the scent of the soup, remembering all the times they had teased him about his super-sensitive nose. There was a flicker of hope in the olive eyes as they landed on the bowl that she was holding, and she caught the way his hands twitched forward slightly, as though he had been about to reach before he abruptly went still and looked away. Confused, she watched as his expression became shuttered as he adopted a look of forced indifference, even as his nose twitched again, and anger stirred, deep and potent as she realised that he must have been taunted…and more than once, with food for him to have developed such a reaction.

    Slowly she leant forward, and at once his eyes were trained on her again, watching her every movement with a renewed wariness that had her eyes beginning to sting again. “Natsu, this is for you,” she murmured, once she had managed to blink back the tears, trying to remain as relaxed as possible as she held the bowl out to him. He studied her for a couple of minutes, eyes flickering between her and the bowl, and she forced herself not to waver, holding her arm steady and offering him an encouraging smile as he finally reached for the bowl. She didn’t move, barely breathing as he cautiously wrapped his own fingers around the bowl, and as soon as she was sure that he had a good grip on it, she removed her own hands. That seemed to startle him more than anything, and he kept looking between her hands and the bowl now resting in his, clearly thinking that there was some trick here that he didn’t understand.

    Eventually, when he realised that she wasn’t going to make any move to snatch it back, he carefully moved the bowl to rest in his lap, hunching over it as though to keep protecting it. “Eat as much as you can manage, but don’t push yourself too far,” she encouraged and warned in one breath, not wanting him to make himself ill, even as she made a note to warn the others about his wariness and protectiveness over food before they ran into any real problems.

    She watched, eyes sad, as he clumsily ate the soup, struggling to hold the spoon and feed himself, but also clearly desperate to eat as much as he could in case, she did change her mind. However, he had only managed a few mouthfuls, and small ones at that, before the frantic pace faltered, slowed and then stopped as he stared down at the bowl, reluctance and disappointment written across his face. Still, she waited, wanting him to decide for himself, and eventually he glanced at her before slowly holding the bowl out for her to take. She could see how much it was hurting him to surrender it, hating that such a simple thing had so much power to hurt him, and hating those that had done this to him, who had made him feel this way.

 “It’s okay,” she said as she reluctantly took the bowl back, unable to miss the way his eyes followed it as she moved it across to the bedside table. “You can have a bit more later, okay? You just have to tell us if you’re hungry,” she added, although she knew that they would be offering him food anyway, not sure if he would be able to ask for it himself but hoping that if he at least knew he had the choice, that it would help draw out a little bit of the old Natsu.

 “Promise?”

     It took her a moment to process the hoarse whisper, her heart soaring as she realised that Natsu was not only talking to her but looking at her directly, even if it was to ask for a promise about food of all things.

“I promise.” She didn’t hesitate, making sure to hold his searching gaze, knowing that his trust – if you could even call it that – in them was flimsy at best at the moment, and that he would see any hint of a lie. Not that she would ever lie about something like that. _But those monsters must have, for him to even think we would,_ she thought, softening just a little when Natsu finally gave a tiny nod of acceptance. She was smiling at him, trying to hide just how relieved she was in case he misinterpreted it, when she heard movement from the hallway, slipping a hand down to rest on her keys. “I’m just going to pop outside for a minute, but then I’ll be right back, okay?” She waited for another nod, refusing to just abandon him before rising and heading for the door. Slipping out of the room, she came up short as she found Erza pacing back and forth across the hall, the scarf that Igneel had given Natsu held tightly in trembling hands.

“Erza?” She asked when the red-head gave no sign of having realised she was there, startled when the other woman practically leapt out of her skin, before turning to look at her with wide eyes. Lucy was speechless for a moment, having never seen Erza look so uncertain before and she glanced back into the room, checking that Natsu was still awake, and while he had slumped down a little his eyes were still open. “He’s still awake if you want to see him,” she said, expression softening as she turned back to Erza to find her staring at the doorway behind her as though it was about to bite her. “I’ll come back in a little while,” she added, before stepping back so that Natsu could see her. “You have a visitor, so I’ll be back with some more food in a little while.” She could see his confusion, but she didn’t linger, hoping that without her there and the fact that Natsu knew someone was there, that Erza would go in as she had still made no effort to step forward.

*

    Erza hesitated for another minute after Lucy had slipped away, almost wanting to curse the Celestial mage for altering Natsu to her presence, unsure of whether she could take that last step or the fresh guilt that she knew would come from seeing Natsu. However, Lucy leaving them alone meant that she had no choice because they couldn’t leave him alone at the moment, and she glanced down at the precious item in her arms, shoring up her resolve. With a quiet knock on the doorframe to alert him that she was coming, she stepped inside, closing the door quietly behind her before turning to look at Natsu.

     He had pushed himself up, although it was clear that even the effort of sitting upright was exhausting at the moment, but his attention wasn’t on her, but rather the window that offered a view out over the town. He was staring out of it with such wide-eyed fascination that she wanted to cry, biting her lip to stop the tears and just watching him for a moment, realising that he was utterly oblivious to her entrance. Which through up a whole new set of fears, because in the past she had never been able to sneak up on him, and she hesitated now, trying to work out the best way to approach as she was wary of scaring him again.

“Hey Natsu,” she greeted softly, wincing when he started violently despite her best efforts, his eyes darting across to her and then blinking, as though startled to see her, although thankfully there was recognition in his eyes this time. He hadn’t hunched in on himself this time which she took as an encouraging sign, taking a moment just to study him, pleased to see that the bath had vastly improved his appearance, although it also had, unfortunately, emphasised his thinness just as Gray had warned her. And the many bandages and plasters that been used to patch him up and hold him together until they could get him to a healer that they trusted, stood out vividly now, and she felt the now familiar anger rising in her chest before she managed to force it back. Hiding it behind a smile for Natsu who was shifting nervously on the bed, his eyes never leaving her, and slowly she moved across to sink into the chair that Lucy or Gray must’ve pulled up in preparation for sitting with him as he rested. She dropped into it, making sure to let Natsu see each of her movements. “Are you feeling any better?” She hated the banality of the question, but she knew that it was too soon for much else.

       It took a while, and she wasn’t sure whether he was considering the question or her, but finally, he gave a small nod. Her smile grew at that, relieved beyond belief that he was responding to her, and he seemed to perk up at her smile, giving her a nervous one in return that made her heart swell, eyes beginning to sting a little. _Natsu._ Fighting against the lump in her throat she glanced down at the scarf she had retrieved from her bags, fingers tightening in the material for a moment, before she slowly held it out to him, lifting her head to watch how Natsu would react. The Dragon-slayer had tensed when she had first moved, still painfully wary, but then he had spotted what she was holding, eyes focused intently on it for a moment before something flickered in his eyes and he lunged forwards. It was clear the movement hurt him, but he didn’t falter, snatching the scarf away from her with an inarticulate cry that seemed to reach down to her very bones. It was hard not to react, but she forced herself to remain where she was, tears stinging her eyes as Natsu cradled the scarf in his hands, staring at it with wide eyes before almost hesitantly burying his face in the material.

“D-Dad…” She nearly missed the whisper, it was so quiet, and she felt tears beginning to trickle down her cheeks as Natsu started to rock back and forth, cradling the scarf against his chest. Erza longed to reach out and hug him, to try and offer comfort as she realised how badly he was shaking, but she wasn’t sure how he would react to that, and she was terrified of scaring him. Then his breath hitched, his entire body jolting as he collapsed into broken sobs, and shocked she reacted without thinking, practically climbing onto the bed so that she could wrap her arms around him. Holding him tightly, as she drew him against her chest, although she was careful not to interfere with the hold he had on the scarf. He froze briefly at the unexpected contact, and she expected him to panic and twist out of her grasp, but after a pause, he surprised her by turning into her hold. Burying his face into her shoulder, as he began to cry in earnest, sobbing out his pain and confusion against her.

“Oh Natsu,” she murmured, heart breaking alongside his as she began to rock him gently, tears now coursing down her cheeks as she tried to offer him what comfort she could. Relieved beyond belief that he was actually allowing her this close, let alone to hold him, squeezing her eyes shut as she buried her face against him. He was a far cry from the Natsu in their memories. Lost. Injured and scared, and they still had no idea if they could bring him back from this, but just being here and able to hold him was helping to ease the hole that his capture had torn in her heart.

 


	5. Chapter 5

 

    Erza wasn’t sure how long they’d sat there like that, Natsu hiding against her, even after his sobbing had given way to hiccups and soft, unsteady breaths. He was still clinging to the scarf, and she had a feeling that it would be a long time before his grip loosened, and she couldn’t blame him, too much had been taken from him. Too much had been lost. _Because we failed him. Because I failed him,_ the need to apologise was there, burning away in her chest, but she held it at bay. He wasn’t ready for the words, today had proven that beyond a doubt, and she wanted him to be able to understand her words when she finally said it. To know if he was able to forgive her or not, until that day, she would take this moment and the fact that he had trusted her enough to lean on her as he shattered, and cling to the hope it gave her.

    Eventually, he began to slump against her, almost boneless in his exhaustion. And as much as she wanted to remain like this and hold him close, she knew that he needed to rest. Gently she eased herself out, shushing the soft noise of protest that greeted her words, and noting the way his fingers had tightened on the scarf, wary of her even now. Once he settled a little more, she eased him down on the bed, making him as comfortable as possible, allowing her fingers to linger a little as she smoothed the covers over him. He looked young like this. Vulnerable in a way that she would never have thought possible, as he blinked up at her, fighting sleep. “It’s okay, you’re safe here,” she promised, knowing that he had little reason to believe her, but his eyes were already closing, and she wasn’t sure if he believed her or if it was just exhaustion catching up with him.

     Either way, it was only a matter of minutes before his breathing had evened out, only the odd hitch indicating the damage hidden beneath. She remained by his side for a few more minutes, just watching the rise and fall of his chest, still unable to believe that he was there. She could have remained there all night, but she knew that the others would be worried, and if she was honest, her armour was slipping, and she needed some time alone to sort out her own complicated mix of emotions. Still, she lingered, before slowly, reluctantly pulling herself away from her side.

    Outside, she found the other three waiting on her with anxious expressions, and she managed a strained smile for their sakes. “He’s asleep,” she explained, closing the door behind her so that their voices wouldn’t disturb Natsu. She lifted her head, knowing that they could see the evidence of her tears, but she made no move to wipe at her cheeks, seeing the questions in their eyes. “He cried himself to sleep in my arms,” she added, voice catching for a moment before she quietly moved past them before her walls could come crashing down, letting them see the chaotic mess of emotions that lay behind them.

****

    They had left Natsu to rest, remembering from past experience how good his hearing was. And even though there had been a time when he could sleep through anything, they doubted that was ability he had anymore, and as reluctant as they were to leave him alone, rest was more important. However, in the end, Gray had given into the need to check on the Fire mage, quiet as he slipped into the room, only to find his concern turning to panic as he realised that the bed was empty, with only the messed up covers showing that it had been occupied a short while before. The bottom dropping out of his stomach at the thought that they had lost Natsu so soon, even as he berated himself for not checking on him sooner, even as he moved further into the room in the hope of finding some clue as to where the Dragon-slayer had gone.

“NAT…” He started to shout, not caring if he roused the whole inn, only for his cry to freeze in his throat as his worried gaze fell on the wayward Dragon-slayer, heart twisting in his chest. Natsu was curled up on the floor in the far corner of the room, his body huddled into the smallest amount of space possible despite the pain it must’ve been causing him. Trapped within his arms was the scarf that Erza had returned to him, and his face was partially buried in the white material, a small from marring his brow to show that he wasn’t oblivious to the pressure on his injuries.

    Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, not wanting to scare Natsu in his relief, before he quietly stepped forwards, intending to move his friend back to the bed before he could do any more damage to himself. He crouched beside the Dragon-slayer, hesitating for a moment before reaching out, intent on rousing the other, knowing that Natsu wouldn’t react well if he woke while being moved, nearly touching him when a sudden murmur from the Dragon-slayer stopped him cold. “They’ll come for me… they’ll come for me…”

    For a wild moment, Gray thought that Natsu was talking about the people that had taken him, but as Natsu repeated the words, again and again, he realised that the words weren’t full of fear as he’d thought, but belief. A wild, desperate hope that left Gray breathless as it dawned on him that Natsu wasn’t talking about his captors, but about them…about his friends. His family. He had believed that they were going to come for him. Even after so long the Dragon-slayer had clung to his faith, believing in them even though his memories and emotions were a chaotic mess, and the Ice Mage found himself having to swallow against the lump that had risen in his throat. _What did we do to deserve such faith?_ He wondered, bowing his head for a moment. He had always been awed by Natsu’s ability to believe in them, but this… he shook his head, blinking against the stinging sensation in his eyes.

    Unable to bring himself to rouse Natsu now, not sure either of them was in any state for that, he moved forward carefully, reaching out to scoop up the restless mage. Natsu stirred for a moment, shifting against him, fingers tightening on his scarf and curling protectively around it, before settling against him, allowing Gray to hold him close as he carefully rose to his feet.

“We’re here,” he murmured when Natsu grumbled a complaint. “We’re here.” _Almost too late, but we are here,_ he thought, glancing down as Natsu curled into his shoulder, breathing easing out as he fell silent. With his eyes burning worse than before, he carefully bore Natsu across to the bed, depositing the sleeping Fire mage on the bed, watching with bated breath as Natsu stirred again, before rolling over and wrapping himself tightly around his precious scarf, expression evening out as he settled once. Gray’s lips twitched weakly at the sight, and he carefully made sure that the Dragon-slayer was properly covered up once more before he stepped back on unsteady legs and sank into the chair beside the bed.

    The smile faded, a soft, broken noise bubbling up in the back of his throat, and he hastily buried his face in his hands to muffle the sound. _He still believed in us._ He had never said it aloud, not wanting to add to the cloud of hopelessness that had grown over them with each unsuccessful search and dead end, but he had wondered if Natsu had stopped believing them. If he had died thinking that they had given up on him. Now, they had Natsu back. Damaged, but alive, and he had not even dared to think about whether Natsu had believed this day would come, but now he had his answer, and it hurt in a way that he had never thought possible. The stinging, becoming tears as he bowed his head, silently promising the Dragon-slayer that he was going to take Natsu home as soon as it was safe for him to travel, determined to make sure that Natsu’s faith that they didn’t deserve was at least justified.

****

     Erza had noticed Gray’s absence, knowing that he must’ve gone to check on Natsu, growing concerned when he showed no signs of returning and that was why she was outside the Dragon-slayer’s room, hesitating for a moment before slipping inside. It didn’t take her long to find them, her gaze softening as it fell on the pair of them. Natsu was curled up on the bed, the scarf cradled possessively against his chest, looking surprisingly peaceful, especially after earlier and for a moment she lingered just watching him, wondering if any of them would ever be able to take the sight of him for granted ever again.

 She knew she wouldn’t.

   And a smile tugged at her lips before her gaze shifted to Gray was asleep in the chair they’d been using earlier, his head tilted at an awkward angle that had her wincing in sympathy, as he snored softly. It had been a long time since she had seen them like this, remembering all the times that they would find Gray crashing in the infirmary when Natsu was injured, despite his arguments that he didn’t’ care about the Flamebrain. They had never believed it, and the lie was clear now as she studied them, noting the dried tear tracks on Gray’s face with a frown, wondering what could have happened between them, although she was glad that it didn’t seem to have disturbed Natsu’s rest.

     Quietly she moved across to the wardrobe and pulled out a spare blanket before moving over to Gray and carefully draping it over him, faltering as he stirred with a grumble, fingers grabbing the blanket before he rolled over and settled once more, his head falling forward to rest on his chest. It at least looked marginally more comfortable than his last position, and satisfied that he was covered, she moved across to the bed, unable to resist reaching out and running her fingers lightly through Natsu’s hair. He leant into her touch for a moment, bringing a startled smile to her lips, and she pulled away before she could disturb him, before hesitating for a moment before she let her magic flare as she requipped into her pyjamas.

     With a last lingering glance at Natsu’s peaceful expression, she moved to settle on the floor next to bed, leaning back against it and closing her eyes. Letting the soft sound of Gray and Natsu’s breathing lull her towards sleep.

*

    It wasn’t much later that the door crept open again, as Lucy and Happy also slipped into the room, unsurprised to find Gray and Erza already arrayed around the bed. They were dead to the world, but at some point, they had both shifted so that their heads were tilted towards the Dragon-slayer, as though even in sleep they needed to be close. The Exceed immediately fluttered to the bed, deliberately gentle as he landed so that he wouldn’t disturb Natsu, before curling up in a position that allowed him to watch the Dragon-slayer’s face. Lucy smiled at the sight, before moving across to settle on the floor beside Erza, surprised when the other girl didn’t even stir at her arrival, or when she draped the blanket, she’d brought with her over them both, making sure that they were both adequately covered.

“Goodnight Happy,” she whispered, smiling at the sleepy reply from behind her as she relaxed against Erza’s side, feeling at ease for the first time since they’d rescued Natsu, allowing their presence and soft breathing lull her to sleep.

****

    Natsu was the first to stir the next day, his nose twitching as he detected the familiar scents around him, a mixture of fear and relief flooding him, and for a moment he was frozen in place. Cautiously he opened his eyes, half-expecting to find that it was a trick, an illusion as it had been so many times before, and he blinked, startled to discover that he wasn’t in his cage. Instead, he was laid beneath an unfamiliar beige ceiling, with soft sunlight streaming in through a window, quickly dispelling the fear that had been building. Blinking back sudden tears, gripped between relief and confusion, twitching as the sound of breathing, and soft snoring registered, and on edge he shifted his head towards the sound, eyes widening at the sight that met his eyes.

_I’m not alone._

    He blinked, half expecting the image to waver, but it didn’t change, and he left his gaze rove over them. Gray was utterly dead to the world, despite the awkward position he was in, lying half in and out of the chair; while Lucy and Erza were just visible, leaning against one another and the side of the bed. A strange warmth filled him as he studied the three people that had taken him out of his cage, cleaned him, treated his injuries and fed him. He knew that they had more history than that, even if he wasn’t entirely sure what that entailed, as small flashes of memory had started coming to him yesterday while under their tender care and his dreams. But so far, they were like a poorly done painting, with many details blurred and smudged beyond recognition, but he knew with a certainty that startled him that they’d meant more to him.

    A movement near his feet made him start, legs curling up defensively as he pushed himself upright, wide eyes falling on the sleepy Exceed who also sat up at the sudden movement. “Sorry,” Happy murmured around a wide yawn, before he blinked, attention shifting to the fearful Dragon-slayer that was staring at him, ears drooping as he realised that he had unintentionally startled Natsu. “Good morning Natsu,” he said as cheerfully as he could, hoping that acting somewhat normal would help to settle his partner, and after a long moment of watchful tension, Natsu relaxed a little, although he didn’t uncurl completely.

“Morning…” Natsu finally replied, visibly unsure, only to finally relax completely when his greeting was rewarded with a beaming smile from the Exceed. For his part, Happy felt like bouncing up and down as he watched Natsu relaxing, finally uncurling from the protective position he had adopted.

*

“Owwww.” The low moan that broke the comfortable silence that had settled over them made them both jump, and they turned to stare at Gray as the Ice Mage began to stir, a frown of discomfort on his face as he registered his less than practical sleeping position. Dark eyes snapping open as Happy giggled, however, before he could say anything in retort, a nervous laugh drew his attention to the bed, where the Dragon-slayer immediately pale, hastily burying his face in his scarf.  Gray bit back a sigh at the action, simultaneously delighted that Happy had managed to make the Dragon-slayer comfortable enough to laugh but saddened that such a simple action could bring the tension back to Natsu’s body. “It’s okay,” he soothed, voice gentle as he straightened, biting back another groan as his body complained about his mistreatment of it.

“Sorry.” The word was muffled by the scarf, but Gray still heard it clearly, and he frowned, sharing a worried look with Happy.

“You’re not in trouble, Natsu,” Gray pointed out, unable to stop himself from sighing this time as he saw the lack of comprehension, the fear and uncertainty in the olive eyes. “It’s okay to laugh,” he stated firmly, determined to make sure that Natsu heard and believed his words. He knew that the Dragon-slayer wouldn’t have laughed at all over the last few years, and he’d be damned if Natsu didn’t have the opportunity or courage to laugh now. _I won’t let them take anything else from him,_ he thought fiercely, watching as Natsu peered warily at him over the top of the scarf, and he smiled warmly as the Dragon-slayer studied him with searching eyes. “It serves me right for falling asleep in a silly position anyway,” he added, rubbing at his head as though embarrassed and he was delighted to see Natsu slowly extracting himself from the scarf, noting the nearly invisible smile that was playing on the Dragon-slayer’s lips.

“That’s true.” The soft voice made him jump, and he glanced down, startled to find both Lucy and Erza smirking sleepily up at him.

“When did you get here?”

“Last night,” Erza replied with a small yawn before twisting around to look up at Natsu who was watching them all with wide eyes, seemingly lost by the easy conversation between them, and her expression softened. “Morning Natsu,” she added, and he ducked his head slightly, gaze reverting to his scarf.

“Morning,” he whispered, glancing at her uncertainly from under his bangs.

“Morning Natsu,” Lucy added as she extracted herself from the blanket and climbed to her feet, stretching out stiff limbs, deciding there and then that they needed to get a room with  more beds as she had a feeling this was going to be a common occurrence, and the floor was not the most comfortable place to sleep.

“Morning,” Natsu repeated, sounding slightly surer of himself, and she beamed at him earning a nervous smile in return as well as somewhat envious glances from the other two.

“I’m starving, are you all ready for breakfast?” Lucy asked, making sure that her gaze was focused on Natsu as she spoke, reminding him of her promise. She noted the affirmative nods and murmurs from the others, but she didn’t waver from her focus on the Dragon-slayer. He was surprised, and she fought the urge to frown, realising that he hadn’t believed her words the night before. Not surprising considering everything that happened, but still hard to see. However, beneath the surprise and the hesitance, she glimpsed something more. Relief. Hope. It was that which stayed her tongue, giving her the patience to wait as he collected her thoughts, and finally, she was rewarded by him nodding slightly. She smiled at him, pretending not to notice the curious expressions and glances from the others.  “Excellent, Erza would you help me?”

“Of course,” Erza said with a smile, she was confused by the byplay between Lucy and Natsu, but she was pleased to see him looking happier, although she would pester the Celestial mage for answers when they were out of the room. Getting to her feet, she quickly changed into her regular clothes, ignoring the dirty look Lucy sent her as she gazed down at her own pyjamas with a sigh.

“We’ll be back with food as soon as I’ve changed,” she muttered, glowering at Erza who chuckled as she realised what the dirty look was about.

“I’m sure we’ll still be here,” Gray said as he settled more comfortably into his chair, winking at Natsu who was watching the exchange with bemusement.

“I’ll come help, I want fish,” Happy said, hopping into the air with wings spread and a broad smile as he added his order.

“Of course, you do,” Erza sighed, and they all felt a surge of delight as a small laugh escaped Natsu, a quick glance showing amusement amongst the wariness in his eyes. Mission accomplished the two girls winked at Gray before heading for the door, Happy flying excitedly around their heads as he babbled about fish.

****

    They had finally made it downstairs, more than ready for breakfast, especially after Lucy had filled in Erza why she had been so insistent on getting Natsu to admit that he wanted food. It had been a stark reminder of how bad things were, something that had been half-forgotten in the light of Natsu’s laughter that morning. The three of them had just finished ordering food, when Erza stilled, eyes narrowing as she realised that the bar area that had been relatively empty when they’d first come down was now filling up behind them, and her hands tensed against the counter as she picked up on several magical presences moving through the crowds towards them.

    Nudging Lucy, she slipped off her stool and turned to face the group that had gathered behind them, watching out of the corner of her eyes as Lucy mirrored her movement and Happy sprang up to hover in the air above them. “What is this about?” She demanded, turning her attention fully to the group, anger growing as her sharp eyes picked out a couple of familiar faces amongst the crowd. They were mages, ones that they’d faced the other day, the bandages and fear when her eyes settled on them being a giveaway. _I should have gone back and dealt with them there and then,_ she thought, hands clenching at her side. _But what are they doing here? And with this much support…?_ Her eyes swept over the crowd, noting that most of them had no magic, which was of small comfort as it appeared as they were more than willing to stand alongside the dark guild

    She was about to demand why, when there was movement, and her attention snapped to the man who had stepped forward. A quick glance at the finery he wore, much too pompous for a small town like this, and the ornate chain around his neck identified him as the mayor, and she tensed. It was one thing to deal with a mob of mislead souls, but if the mayor was supporting the dark guild, then they could be in deep trouble.

“Are you the group that attacked Harinsbane yesterday?” It was voiced as a demand, and she winced at his nasal tone, even as he registered that for all it was given as a question, he already knew the answer. She could see it in his eyes, he was waiting for them to incriminate themselves. She didn’t hesitate, stepping forward into his space, watching in satisfaction as he immediately shrank back a few steps, practically quivering as his fear began to break through his bravado.

“Yes.” She wouldn’t lie about that, even if there had been a purpose to it. Fixing the image of Natsu in her mind, from her very first glimpse of him after they’d pulled him out of that hellhole, to the look in his eyes that morning, when he’d been worried about being punished for daring to laugh. It leant steel to her voice as she took another step forward, letting her gaze rove over the crowd, lingering deliberately on the mages. “We went to rescue a friend. A mage that they had captured several years ago, a mage that they held against his will, stealing his magic and making his every moment a living hell. A crime that they will be punished for.”

“Lies!” One of the mages cried from the middle of the cry, managing to sound hurt and offended by her words, despite the smugness in his gaze as he met her gaze. “They snuck into our guildhall and attacked us without warning or provocation, being kidnapping one of our guildmates and leaving several more of us for dead.” Erza snarled at his words, hand reaching for her sword as her fury swirled around her, every single flinch and cry of fear from Natsu replaying through her mind with painful clarity as he dared claim to be ‘friends’ with Natsu, even as he had probably been one of the ones that had tortured the Dragon-slayer.

“You there…” She hissed.

“Hand over the guild member that you kidnapped before anyone else gets hurt.” The Mayor ordered imperiously as he glared at them, and the three of them exchanged incredulous looks, and Erza froze, fingers resting on the hilt of her sword. It wasn’t as unexpected as she wanted it to be, but it did not bode well if the Mayor was willing to take the guild’s side without even listening to what they had to say on the matter. And her mind was racing as she tried to work out how to get them all out of this and see Natsu to the safety they had promised him. However, before she was even close to working out what to do, Lucy exploded.

“Are you serious?” She demanded, eyes blazing as she stepped up alongside Erza, her hands on her hips, carefully kept away from her keys as she let her gaze settle on each face in the crowd. “There mages dared to take our friend, taking him from his friends, his family in order to imprison him. Torturing him and stealing his magic to power the same pitiful weapons that they have no doubt used against this very town, and you stand there accusing us of kidnapping?!” Golden light was spilling out around her now, her temper rising with each word and her magic with it, and now her hand slipped, fingers curling against her key pouch in preparation. Impressed though she was, Erza reached out to grab her wrist, shaking her head when Lucy glanced at her and waiting for the other girl to take a deep, steadying breath, before turning her attention back to the rest of the crowd.

“We’re willing to overlook this misjudgement,” Erza said coolly, her grip tightening when Lucy opened her mouth to protest, a quick glare ensuring that Happy remained silent too. “However, if you attempt to take Natsu from us, I can assure you that the only ones getting hurt will be you because we will not allow anyone to lay another hand on him.” Her voice was positively glacial by the time she’d finished, and she could see a few of the non-mages beginning to slip away from the back of the group, but not enough, not by far.

“What could you do? There are only three of you and that cat.” One of the wizards shouted, mocking and supremely confident and Erza looked at him, lifting an eyebrow as she took in the lack of injuries, which indicated that he hadn’t been amongst the mages that they had faced while rescuing Natsu.

“Why don’t you ask your guild-mates?” She asked, arching an eyebrow in challenge, even as she began to move. Cautiously moving back towards the stairs, pulling lightly on Lucy’s arm until the Celestial mage began to move with her, picking up on the unspoken message.

“A sneak attack and nothing more,” he retorted, with all the bravado of a man who didn’t know what he was up against, and she was torn between rolling her eyes at his overconfidence and showing him the error of his ways. She did neither, continuing to move backwards, pleased to note that Happy was following them. “Stop them!” He roared before she could say anything in response, realising what they were up to and Erza was forced to duck as a blast of light flew past her ear to leave a nasty scorch mark on the wall. Cursing Erza turned and ran, sparing a quick glance behind her to check that Lucy was following as there was a stir in the ground as the mages began to give change, and she had to fight the urge to turn back and end this now.

     However, they needed to warn Gray and get Natsu out of here before they did anything else, and she didn’t want to risk someone sneaking around them. _You won’t get near him,_ she vowed, her mind racing as she tried to work out what they were going to do before her gaze darted to the Exceed following them in the air. “Happy find us a way out of here!” She ordered, and the Exceed nodded before shooting off in the opposite direction with a grim ‘Aye Sir!’ having to spin out of the path of several blasts, and Erza growled under her breath, itching to protect him, but Natsu had to come first, and she forced herself to focus on getting up the stairs.

 _How can they support them?_  

    It was more than that. She blamed herself for not noticing just how involved the guild was with the town, and for not going back to deal with them when her anger had been at its highest. More regrets to add to her heaviest one, and now all she could do was hope that they could get out of here without anything else happening to Natsu, not sure that the Dragon-slayer could come back to them if they failed this time.


End file.
